I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You
by tropigirl09
Summary: Okay, this is my first ff ever...so bear with me, I know the first few chapters are kind of slow but it will pick up. Find out what happened before and during Peach Girl, and I bet you want to know what happens to Momo and Kairi AFTER the series! R&R!
1. The Shocking News

Disclaimer: I do NOT take any credit for coming up with the characters, plots, or ideas that take place in Peach Girl: Love Hurricane.

Just so you know, I have rewritten these first five chapters, so if you've already read them and plan to jump to chapter 6, you may want to reread them. I think they're a lot better. Thanks! Please leave some reviews and I'll keep writting! : )

I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You

Chapter One – The Shocking News

"I'm so glad summer is here! And we get to work at the same pool again, Momo," Yami said.

"Me too! But I wish they would quit changing the CPR counts, I hate having to get recertified every two years. I am excited though. I can't wait to practice some new dives off the high dive!" replied Momo.

It was Friday and the last day of school before summer vacation. Momo and Yami were best friends and would be freshmen at Mizaki High School next fall. Momo Adachi was a down to earth girl, a very good student, nice to everybody, a record holder for many of the races on the swim team, and not to mention, she was one of the most beautiful girls in the school. She had sparkling hazel eyes, long, flowing reddish-orange hair from the chlorine and sun and dark skin from lifeguarding at the pool all summer. She had a very good body form because of all the swimming she did and her bright smile dazzled everyone. When she put the effort into doing her hair and makeup, she even turned a few heads as she walked by.

However, her popping red hair, dark skin, and toned body were not very well looked upon in the Japanese culture. They were often characteristics of sluts, or easy girls. People who didn't know Momo often made wrong assumptions about her, especially guys. Every guy that she had ever liked had only been attracted her to because of her looks – not because they liked her, and she was tired of it.

It was hard to tell at first glance, but Momo is only half Japanese. Not having the typical fair, pale skin of a full-blooded Japanese person, her skin tanned more easily, even though she usually caked on lots of sunblock, and her light brown hair was able to be affected by the sun and chlorine more dramatically. Her mother was a real estate agent from California, but now a stay home mom and her dad was an executive for a major stock company in Japan. Her parents met when her father flew to the United States on a business trip. Her parents have been married for about 12 years now, and they lived in small subdivision in Japan, about 30 minutes from the coast.

"And, we get to check out all of the hot guys _while_ we're working! What could be better than that?" Yami said with a grin.

"_You_ can check out all the guys, I don't really want a boyfriend right now," Momo fibbed. _All I've ever wanted is for a guy to love me for me, not just to try to get into my pants because I look like that kind of a girl. Ugh…maybe I should quit swimming and lifeguarding – then I wouldn't look like this! I wouldn't look like some easy tramp. But I love those things, I can't quit. I'm not a quitter. So to avoid all the problems I'll just stay away from guys for now._

"Hey, Tori and Kaburu just said bye to you. Did you not hear them?" Yami asked as she nudged Momo, braking her thoughts.

"Oh gosh, I wasn't even paying attention," Momo said and turned around. "Bye you guys! Have a great summer! You should come to the pool and visit Yami and me!"

"Thanks, you too! And that sounds like fun, we'll definitely be there when it's hot out!" Tori shouted over her shoulders.

Yami and Momo walked home in silence until Yami asked, "So why don't you want a boyfriend? I mean, you said you've never kissed a guy, right? Don't you want to know what that is like? I mean, practically every girl in our class has kissed a guy at least once. You really don't want to be the only girl in high school who hasn't been kissed, trust me."

Momo just blushed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Momo, what's going on? Hmmm…can I ask you something?" Yami asked hesitantly.

"Sure."

"I'm your best friend right, and we tell each other almost everything," Yami started.

"Of course you're my best friend, what's this about, Yami?" Momo interrupted.

"Okay, don't take this personally, and if you do, it's totally cool. I mean it's it wouldn't change anything between us, but I was just wondering, since you never want to do anything with guys these days, I mean, not even talk to them….are you….I mean do you…I mean, I won't judge you are anything…but do you like girls?" Yami finally asked.

"WHAT?! No! Of course not! I like guys, a lot," Momo said between giggling. _Wow, I can't believe Yami would think that!_ Yami started laughing too.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that," Yami said after they were done laughing. "So, why don't you ever talk to any of the guys, I mean, is there a particular guy at school that you like?"

"Well, I sort of like Yuske Urameshi," Momo confessed quietly. "But I don't really know him that well."

"Oh my gosh! He's so cute! Why don't you ever talk to him? Get to know him!" Yami screeched.

"NO!" Momo yelled, louder than she meant to. "I mean, I can't." A small blush grazed her checks and her gaze drifted to her feet as she walked. Yami grabber her arm and they both stopped.

"Hey, what's wrong? You're like one of the hottest girls at school and you're so nice and caring. Yuske would be retarded not to like you. I have noticed him staring at you in class and during swim practice, when he's _supposed_ to be training for football. And he goes out of his way to come to the pool where we work instead of going to the pool by his house."

"I know, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I don't want him to know that I like him because I'm afraid of what might happen. I'm afraid that he only stares at me because he thinks I'm hot, or beautiful, or slutty, or whatever - he doesn't even know me. He doesn't even say hi to me. I'm tired of guys trying to take advantage of me, that's all. Every guy that I have ever liked was only interested in me because of my looks and they think I'm easy and I'm the one that gets hurt in the end - every single time. Guys are jerks and I don't want to deal with them right now. Right now."

"Yeah, guys can be jerks, I'm sorry Momo. I feel awful for teasing you about guys and then asking you if you liked girls. I didn't know this was bothering you so much. If you want, I could ask him what he thinks about you, that way he wouldn't know you like him. Now that summer is here you won't see him every day, so you wouldn't have to worry about any awkwardness between you guys and by the time school starts up again, he'll have forgotten that I even asked," Yami said.

"Thanks Yami, but that's okay. I'd rather not know how he feels. Sometimes not knowing things is for the best. I think I'm just going to take a break from the whole guy thing for a while. We're starting high school in a few months, so there will be plenty of opportunities for boys then," Momo said as she started walking again.

They walked to the street where Yami would turn to go to her house in silence. When they reached the corner, they gave each other a hug and went their separate ways.

"See you at work in a few days!" Momo called over her shoulder.

"Bye! See you soon!" Yami yelled back.

Momo walked a few more blocks to her own house. She walked inside and yelled, "Mother, I'm home!"

"Momo dear, come into the kitchen, there's something important your father and I need to tell you," her mother yelled back.

Momo walked into the kitchen and saw her parents sitting at the table with several piles of papers scattered in front of them. She was surprised to see her father sitting there, normally he didn't get home until five – he was home two hours early.

"Hi honey, how was your last day or middle school? I can't believe how grown up you are!" Her mother said as she smiled at her daughter.

"It was good. We didn't really do anything. What did you need to talk to me about? And why are you home so early?" She asked, glancing at her father, who was filling out some paperwork.

Her father set his pen down and looked up at his daughter, "I was given two options at work today. I could take a pay cut and stay in my same position, or I could be promoted and get a pay raise."

"A promotion! That's great! But if you were offered a promotion, why do you look so upset?" Momo asked. _I'm so confused. I thought promotions were really good._

"Well, the promotion was great, it offered a substantial pay raise and more benefits, so I took the promotion. I knew there was no way we could afford a pay cut, not with you and your mother's shopping habits," her father explained. "But there was a catch with the promotion, I have to transfer to a new facility in the city. That means we're going to have to move."


	2. The Truth About Goodbye

Chapter Two – The Truth About Goodbye

"Move!" Gasped Momo. "We can't move! I'm starting high school in the fall!"

Her mother walked over and put her arms around her daughter. "Oh honey, it will be okay. Your father is going to be making about twice as much as what he does now, we'll get to do things that we haven't been able to do before - like take some vacations – maybe to the United States. And you'll make lots of new friends. You're a beautiful girl and you've got a great personality, trust me, it will all work out. This move is going to be good for all of us"

"No, you don't understand, I've been going to this school since I first started school. People know me – They know why I look like this - they know I'm on the swim team and that I lifeguard. I'll be the laughing stock at a new school." She broke from her mother's embrace and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. _How could they possibly understand! They already have a life. They don't have to worry about finding a boyfriend, or people harassing them because of their looks, or a reputation to defend. This move will be easy for them._

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat on her bed. _I need to call Yami_. She reached over and grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand, but was interrupted when her father knocked on her door.

"What do you want?" Momo asked.

Mati Adachi opened the door and came over to where Momo was sitting.

"I know you're mad at your mother and me right now, but I promise this move is going to be great…for all of us. We'll be downtown, there will be plenty of things for you to do and see, and I'll be making twice as much as I am now. I know you're going to miss your friends, but you can always take the train back here to visit during the summers."

"You'll let me take the train all by myself?" Momo asked in astonishment. _I've never been allowed to take long train rides alone!_ She wiped her face with the back of her hand and listened to her father.

"I think you're plenty old enough, besides, there is a train station a few blocks from the apartment building we'll be living in."

_Hmmm, I guess I didn't think about those things - father will be making more money, we'll be living in the city, and I can just take the train to visit Yami whenever I want. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. _

"Did you say apartment building?" Momo asked her father. She had lived in the same house all her life – it was hard to imagine moving into something much smaller.

"Yep, since we'll be living in the middle of the city, houses are out of the question. The apartment complex where we'll be is very nice. Samantha, I mean your mother and I drove up there earlier this morning, and I think you'll like it. There are a couple of schools for you to choose from, lots of little shops, an aquatic center, and several malls all around us. So I think you'll have plenty to do."

"When are we leaving?"

"Well, I start my new job in two weeks from Monday, so we're heading out at the end of next week. That means we have a lot of work to do around here."

"So soon?" _That doesn't give me very much time at all to spend with Yami._ "I guess I should call the pool and let them know that I won't be working there anymore. They'll need to find a replacement for me before they open on Monday."

"That's probably a good idea," Her father said. "I'm glad to see you're not too upset now. I figured it would seem a little better after I told you about all of the perks."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm still not extremely happy about it, but I'm not upset either. I guess I'm a little excited, and nervous." _I know people are going to judge me at first, but once they get to know me everything will be okay. I'll get to start over at a new school. Hey, maybe I'll finally get my first kiss! Yami will be so proud of me. Besides, Yami is about the only person I'll really miss and I can visit her_.

Momo looked at her dad, "I'm sorry I overreacted downstairs, I guess I was just kind of shocked at first. I was being selfish. I'm just worried I won't fit in at a new school, that's all…and I'm going to miss Yami a lot."

"It's okay, I understand why you were upset. And I know you'll make lots of friends at your new school."

Her dad gave her a hug and left the room, "Thank you for understanding Momo."

When he was out of the room, Momo picked up her cell phone and called Yami.

"Hello?" Yami answered.

"Hey Yami, it's me," Momo said. "I have some bad news. My dad got a new job in the city and we have to move."

"What! When?" Yami cried.

"We're leaving next week, probably Wednesday or Thursday."

"Oh my gosh, I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I know, I'm going to miss you too! My dad said I can take the train and come back to visit during the summers. I'm really nervous about going to a new school though."

"That should be the least thing for you to be worried about. You're like one of the hottest and nicest girls at school. People would be stupid not to like you. Trust me, once they get to know you, you'll be the most popular girl there."

"Maybe, but everyone in our class knows why I'm so dark and have red hair. Nobody at my new school is going to know, they're all going to think I'm some tramp from the suburbs. I'm going to have to cake on 

the sunscreen this summer. I'm hoping my skin will get a little lighter. Maybe I'll just wear pants, sweaters, and hats all summer."

"Oh Momo, you make me laugh. Hey, we should do something fun before you leave," Yami suggested.

"I was just going to say that! We should go to Shiranomi Beach tomorrow. It's only like 30 minutes from here and it's one of my favorite beaches."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea to me," Yami agreed.

"Okay, I'll meet you at the bus stop at 8 tomorrow morning, sound good?"

"Ummm, sounds GREAT!"

"Okay, I have something else to tell you, so, you know how I told you that I liked Yuske?"

"Yeah…" Momo could practically hear Yami grinning over the phone.

"I'm thinking about telling him that I like him. I mean, since I'm moving and all – I have nothing to worry about because I'll probably never see him again and that way I'll finally know how he feels. What do you think?"

"You should totally do it!" Yami said. "When are you going to do it?"

"How about tomorrow while we're on the bus?"

"That sounds fabuloso!"

"Okay then, so I'll see you tomorrow morning!" Momo said.

"See you tomorrow morning."

Momo hung up her phone and headed downstairs to see what was for dinner.

A few hours later she was getting ready for bed. Her body was tired, but her mind was wide awake - whirling with thoughts and emotions. _I hope this all works out like they said. _


	3. The Day At Shiranomi Beach

Chapter Three – The Day At Shiranomi Beach

"Beep Beep Beep! Beep Beep Beep!"

Momo rolled over and hit the off button on her alarm and yawned. 6:45 flashed on the clock's screen. She was still pretty tired from falling asleep so late, but her excitement enabled her to jump out of bed. _Okay, what do I want to wear?_ She thought to herself. She went to her closet, pulled out a white bikini with pink polka-dots on it. _This will look cute with my pink beach bag._ She pulled out a blue jean mini skirt and a white halter top. After getting dressed she examined herself in the mirror. _Now what should I do with this long hair?_ She put it up in a ponytail, but then decided that wasn't the right look. She eventually decided to just brush it and leave it down. Next she began packing her beach-bag, naming everything as she put it in. _Cute white sunglasses, sunscreen, towel, Frisbee, i-pod, keys, pink hat, a bag for shells, and my wallet._

"I think that should do it," she said aloud. "Just need to grab some snacks from the kitchen, then I'm off."

She picked up her cell phone and called Yami.

"Hey, I'm getting ready to leave my house, are you almost ready?"

"Yep, I'll see you in about 10 minutes," Yami replied.

Momo put her phone in her bag, put on a pair of pink platform sandals, and headed downstairs. Her parents had already left for the day to run some errands. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips, two apples, a small package of cookies, and then grabbed a granola bar to eat on the way. She opened the refrigerator and put two bottles of water in her bag and headed out the door.

Ten minutes later, she and Yami were sitting on the bus.

"I'm so excited, this is going to be so much fun," Yami exclaimed.

"I know! And it turned out to be a gorgeous day. I was a little worried that it would still be stormy from the typhoon that hit two days ago."

"Yeah, me too," Yami agreed. "So, are you ready to call Yuske?"

Momo grinned sheepishly, "I guess so, I mean, I might as well get it over with."

"What are you going to do if he says that he really likes you?"

"I can't really do anything. I mean, I'm moving in less than 10 days. It would be pointless to start any sort of relationship now. I just need to know if he likes me for me, and that there actually _is_ a guy who isn't a jerk."

"Yeah, well, what are you waiting for? Get dialing!"

Momo pulled her cell phone out of her beach bag. "Here goes nothing," she gulped.

She dialed Yuske's number and waited for somebody to answer.

"Hello?" A deep voice said.

Momo almost jumped out of her seat when she heard his voice, "hey Yuske, it's Momo, Momo Adachi – we were in the same class this year…"

"Oh, hey there Momo!" Yuske said.

Momo laughed nervously, "hey!"

"So what's up? You working at the pool this summer? I was thinking about going over there Monday, it'd be cool if you were there."

Momo's eyes widened, "actually I won't be working there this summer, sorry. But what I was actually calling for was to ask you something…"

"Oh, okay, what did you want to ask me?"

"Well, I've heard a lot of rumors going around and…I was just wondering if…if, you liked me…" Her cheeks grew warm as they turned light pink.

There was a brief pause and Momo suddenly felt really embarrassed. _I can't believe I just asked one of the most popular guys at school if he liked me! Of course he doesn't…ugh! He probably just thinks I'm some hot girl! Why did I do this, I knew I would just end up disappointed._

"What rumors have you heard?" He finally asked, breaking her train of thoughts.

"Well…" Momo stuttered. "I heard that you have been staring at me in class…and watching me at swim practice…"

Yuske laughed, "well I guess I have been caught. But I mean, I'm not the only guy who stares at you, trust me, it's kind of hard for us guys not to stare at you. You're so…so beautiful. I mean, I can't say that I really like you, like you right now, just because I don't really know you well enough."

"Oh, okay, thanks Yuske…" _There, he had said it, at least he wasn't a jerk about it though. He was actually really nice about it, and honest._

"Well, wait a minute – I just said I didn't like you, like you because I don't know you well enough. I'm not player, Momo. When I'm dating a girl, I want it to be for the right reasons. So I can't say that I like you right now because I don't know you well enough to know if you're right for me. You know? But just because I don't know you very well now, doesn't mean we can't get to know each other and see if we would work out. I think I'd actually like that a lot, you seem like such a nice person…"

Momo was unable to say a word. She was stunned at what Yuske was saying. Not in a million years did she expect those words to come out of his mouth.

"Unless you don't want to…" Yuske's words broke her trance.

"NO!" She said a little too forcefully. "I mean, it's not that I don't want to. Sorry, I was just shocked to hear you say that…that was the first time a guy has said such nice things to me…I mean, guys usually just make me out to be some horror who's been around the block a few times…but anyways, I'm rambling. I should stop."

"I think it's cute," Yuske said. "And I didn't make you out to be some easy chick - you're too shy and caring."

"Thanks Yuske, it's really nice to hear you say those things," Momo said as a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before Yami could see it. "I really do appreciate it."

"Well, it's the truth. So...would you want to, maybe go out to lunch sometime next week?"

Momo smiled, but her heart sank, "I wish I could, but I can't. I'm actually moving to the city…so I would love to, and I'm really glad you said those things to me because I was about to give up on guys entirely for a while, but you've given me hope. But I can't start something with you, it wouldn't be fair to either one of us…I'm sorry."

"Oh, okay, that's cool. Why are you guys moving?" He asked in a disappointed voice.

"My dad got a promotion. I'm kind of excited, but a little nervous too."

"You'll be just fine. Just be yourself and nobody can take away your happiness."

"Thanks Yuske, I'll be back to visit over the summers, we should grab lunch or dinner sometime."

"That would be fun, just give me a call."

"Okay, well thanks for everything Yuske. Good luck in high school." Momo said with a smile.

"Thanks, good luck at your new school too! Bye Momo!"

She hung up her phone and turned to Yami who was eagerly awaiting to hear all about her phone conversation. "Tell me! Tell me!"

Momo told Yami everything Yuske had said, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"Oh my gosh, he's so sweet!" Yami cried.

"I know, it's too bad I'm moving, I mean, I could have totally had a chance with him. But oh well, at least I know now."

When the girls arrived at the beach, they picked a spot to lay out their towels. While Momo was spreading her towel across the soft sand, something hard hit her in the butt.

"Hey!" She squealed as she whirled around to see what had hit her. A football was lying on the ground at her feet. She looked around and saw a group of guys laughing and pointing.

"Hey, do you want to come play with us, cutie?" They taunted.

"Yeah right!" _As if I don't know what that means_. She picked up the football and threw it at the guys as hard as she could. One of the guys tried to catch it, but it bounced right out of his hands and hit him in the face.

"Nice throw!" A new voice said. "Serves them right."

Momo turned her head to see a handsome American boy standing a few feet away from her. The boy looked to be about the same age as her and Yami, but she didn't recognize him. _Figures, he's not from around here._ He had dark brown, shaggy hair and a beautiful smile, but something about his eyes caught Momo's attention. They looked almost, sad.

"Thanks," Momo said.

"You're welcome, well I'll see ya around," the boy said and walked away.

"Who was that?" Yami asked.

"I have no idea," Momo replied.

"He was cute!" Yami exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, you say that about every guy."

"Hey, you want to play some volleyball?" Yami asked.

"Sure, as long as it doesn't involve a football," both girls laughed.

After playing some volleyball and playing in the water, the girls decided to lay out on their towels. Momo pulled out her sunblock and started rubbing it in.

"I can't believe this is our last day together," complained Yami.

Momo lifted up her sunglasses, "stop saying that. I told you I'll come back during the summers. Besides, I don't want to talk about that right now…let's just talk about happy things." She looked out to the ocean, _only happy thoughts, only happy thoughts. _All of a sudden something caught her eye. _What was that? Is that a…no, it can't be, nobody would be stupid enough to go out that far right after a typhoon hit. _

"Hey, are you okay? You have this really weird look on your face," Yami asked.

"Yeah, I thought I saw somebody out there…" Momo squinted her eyes and looked out at the sea again.

"There's no way anyone would be stupid enough to swim way out there right after a big typhoon hit. All I see is some sort of floaty toy or something, a kid probably lost it…'

_There it is again._ She studied the water near the floaty toy even harder.

"NO!" Momo interrupted, "There is a person out there!" She looked around for the lifeguard, but he wasn't paying any attention to the water. Instead he was flirting with a group of girls near him. Momo threw off her sunglasses and ran into the water.

"Momo! Wait, you can't swim out there! I know you're a great swimmer, but it's not safe!" Yami called after her, but Momo didn't even hesitate.

She swam out to where the toy was. It was a deflated beach ball. Momo didn't see the person atop the water and dove downward. _Where are you? I know I saw you._ She opened her eyes under the water and the salt burned like fire, but she didn't care. _Ouch_. She spotted a body sinking towards the ocean's floor. She swam down as fast as she could, grabbed the boy, and headed back to the water's surface. Once atop the water, she recognized the boy immediately. He was the same American boy who she had briefly talked to, and he wasn't breathing. _Oh no! _She swam to the shore as hard and fast as she could. When she got there, the once preoccupied lifeguard rushed over to help her. He lifted the boy out of the water and carried him to the sand.

"He's not breathing," Momo told the lifeguard frantically.

He laid the boy down on the sand and began to give him CPR.

_Come on, breathe,_ Momo thought. Momo was scared - she'd never seen a person die before. There was now a small circle of onlookers surrounding them.

"Wow, this doesn't look good," an older man said to his wife.

"Poor kid, what was he thinking?" She replied.

Yami pushed through the circle and ran over to Momo.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay. Who was that retarded to swim…" she stopped midsentence when she saw who the boy was. "Oh! What was he thinking?"

"Maybe he didn't know there was a typhoon. I mean, he doesn't look like he's from around here. Mabye he's never even heard of a typhoon."

"Maybe, I bet you're right. This was definitely not the drama we needed on our last day together."

"That's it, easy does it," Momo heard the lifeguard say. She leaned over to look at the boy. He coughed up a big mouthful of water and opened his eyes ever so slightly.

"Hey miss, what is your name?" The lifeguard asked.

Momo glanced over at him, "Momo, Momo Adachi," she replied.

"Well Momo Adachi, you just saved this young man's life, good work," the lifeguard praised. "Alright everyone, I need you to back up and give us some space. The ambulance is on its way, thanks again Momo!"

The circle of people slowly dispersed when they heard the ambulance sirens blaring. Momo and Yami walked back to their towels. They watched in silence as the boy was put on a stretcher and taken away.

"I think I'm just going to lie here for a while," Momo said. _Who was that boy?_

"Sounds good," Yami agreed.

Momo rubbed in some more sunblock and plopped down on her towel. _What was he doing out there? _She thought back to when she had first met the boy. _His eyes, they looked so sad…Is that why he swam out there? Ugh, why am I even worrying about this, it's not like I'll ever see him again anyways._

A few hours later, the girls decided to head home for supper.

"I'll see you sometime this week before you leave," Yami shouted behind her shoulder as she turned down her street.

"Kay, have fun at work tomorrow!"


	4. Love At First Sight

Chapter Four – Love At First Sight

Momo woke up early Wednesday morning. _I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow, it feels so weird that this won't be our house anymore._ She got out of bed and looked around her room and then at the pile of boxes her father had given her the night before. _I have a lot of packing to do, I think I'm going to need some more boxes._ She brushed her teeth, got dressed, pulled her long hair into a ponytail, and went downstairs to see what her mother had made for breakfast.

"Sorry sweetie, I was so busy packing, I completely lost track of the time," her mother said. "Do you want me to fry you up some eggs and toast?"

"It's okay, I'll just have some cereal. It needs to get eaten anyways."

"Alright," her mother said.

After eating, Momo went back upstairs to her bedroom to pack her things. She started pulling down her posters and pictures hanging on her walls and emptied her dressers and closet. A few hours later, her entire room was packed into the boxes.

"There! I'm done!" Momo exclaimed after she taped the last box shut. The walls were completely bare, the lamps were packed away, and all the furniture and boxes were pushed up against a wall. _This really doesn't look like my room_.

She went downstairs to see if her mother or father needed any help packing. She walked through the once decorated and lit up halls of her house to find her parents. _Everything is so plain…and ugly. I'm so glad mother knows how to decorate._ She found her parents in the garage packing up more stuff.

"Hey, do you guys need any help?" She asked them.

"Sure honey, that would be great," her dad said with much gratitude. She helped her parents pack up the rest of the house and a few things from the yard.

"Alright, that should do it," her father said when everything was packed. "Why don't we go to bed early so we can get an early start tomorrow morning?"

"That sounds great to me, I'm exhausted," her mother replied.

"Me too," Momo agreed. Momo climbed the stairs to her room, grateful that her bed was still assembled.

The next morning, Momo was woken by the sound of a loud engine in the driveway. She looked out the window and saw her father parking the big moving van in their driveway. Just then her door opened.

"Oh, good morning sweetie, I was just coming up here to wake you," her mother said. "Once you're dressed and ready for the day, could you bring your stuff downstairs? We're getting everything loaded up."

"Sure, I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay, I called Yami's parents, and they will all be here in about an hour to see us off," her mother said as she walked out the door to go help her husband.

A few hours later, the truck was loaded and the Adachi family was ready to leave. Momo gave Yami a hug and climbed up into the big moving van.

"I'll miss you! You better come and visit me!" Yami yelled up to Momo, who had her head hanging out the van window.

"For sure! You know I will and I'm going to miss you too! And, you should come and visit me too, you'd love the city! Bye!" Momo yelled back.

She continued waving to her best friend as her father maneuvered the big van out of the driveway. They were on their way to their new home in the city!

Momo leaned her head against the window of the van and soon fell asleep.

Several hours later, Momo felt the car jerk to a stop. She yawned and sat up.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Her Father asked her.

"Mmm-hmmm," she replied. "Where are we?"

"Look outside, we're here!" Her mother said.

Momo looked outside and saw a large stone apartment complex. It was white and landscaped very elegantly.

"Wow, it's really pretty," Momo said.

"I think you'll like the neighborhood too," her father said. "We passed the aquatic center, a park, and all sorts of other places while you were sleeping. I think you'll have fun here."

"Oh yeah, the aquatic center," Momo exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe I can get a job there!"

"Why don't you have a look around while your father and I unpack the van," her mother said. "I think we can handle it. We'll put your boxes in your room."

"Really? Thanks!" Momo said. She felt bad leaving her parents to do all the work, but she really wanted to go explore her new neighborhood. "If you guys need my help just call my cell phone and I'll come right home." She hopped down from the van and stretched. "Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"Nope, go have some fun," her father said.

A few minutes later, Momo was walking down a block that had a lot of cute restraints and tourist shops. She turned the corner and spotted the aquatic center her father must have been talking about. She walked inside and looked around.

"May I help you?" A short woman from behind the front desk asked.

"Um, actually yes. I was wondering if you had any lifeguarding positions still available? I know it's kind of late to be asking…"

"Actually I believe we do," the woman said. "Do you have time to fill out an application?"

"Sure," Momo said. The woman handed her an application, a pen and a clipboard. She sat down in a chair and filled out the paper.

"Thank you," the woman said as Momo handed her the completed document. She glanced over the application, "wow, this looks great. I think you've found yourself a job. When can you start working?"

"Well, I think I can start on Monday."

"Great, let me go file this and then I'll give you a tour, get you a locker and some other stuff, I'll be right back."

The woman slipped down a hallway behind the desk and into a room. She reappeared a few seconds later. My name is Kiki, I'm the general manager/secretary for this place."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Momo Adachi," The two girls shook hands.

"Well it's very nice to have someone with some experience working for us this summer. If you follow me, I'll show you around the facility."

After the tour, Kiki assigned Momo a locker and gave her a uniform.

"Here is your locker key, a schedule, an event calendar for the center, a list of the rules and expectations, and your whistle. Do you have any other questions?"

"I don't think so," Momo said.

"Alrighty then, I'll see you on Monday. It was nice meeting you." Kiki said.

"It was nice meeting you as well. Thank you for the job," Momo said.

Momo left the building and headed down another street. _I should probably head home soon in case my parents need me._ She thought. She headed in the direction of her apartment complex, but slowed when she saw a park. There were a bunch of boys out on the field playing baseball and some girls sitting on the bleachers watching them. _I wonder if I'll be in the same class as any of them_. She thought. _Maybe I'll watch just for a little while._

She walked over and sat on the bleachers a few rows down from the group of girls.

They were talking and giggling.

"He is so cute!" One of the girls said.

"He's definitely one of the hottest guys at school, and we're going to be freshmen this year! I so can't wait!"

"Oh, look, he just threw another strike! He's so amazing. Ugh – I wish he would ask me to the freshmen celebration dance! I don't know what to think of…_us_ anymore. Like one day I feel like he really likes me and then other days he just straight up ignores me. I wish he would just say something and quit stringing me along. You know?"

"Yeah boys are so confusing! Has he tried to kiss you yet?"

The girl sighed, "No, he hasn't. He's never even invited me over to his house. I'm probably just jumping to conclusions. Oh well, there will be plenty of opportunities for boys now that we're in high school."

Momo took off her hat and looked out to the baseball diamond. She spotted the boy on the pitcher's mound. _He must be the guy they're talking about. He is really cute. _The boy had light brown shaggy hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a nice body form. _He's not scrawny, but not too muscular either. _All of a sudden she saw the boy wink. She quickly looked away. She had been so mesmerized by the boy that she hadn't realized that she had been staring at him. _ He didn't wink at me, he doesn't even know me. It was meant for the girl that he likes_. She kept telling herself, but she was certain that the boy was looking directly at her when he winked.

"Strike three! You're out! And that's the game!" The umpire called.

Embarrassed about what had happened with the pitcher, Momo quickly jumped off the bleachers and started walking across the park.

"Hey Toji! That was a great game!" Momo heard the girl who thought Toji and her were an item say.

"Yeah, you were awesome!" Another girl said.

"Thanks, but hey, I'll see you guys later," She heard Toji say.

"Hey, you in the pink hat! Wait up!" Momo heard the boy say. She felt her heart speed up and her cheeks flush, _why does he want to talk to me? _She stopped and turned around.

The boy was jogging towards her. He slowed and stopped in front of her. She saw the group of girls in the distance behind him. They were all staring at her and Toji.

"So, um, hi," he said shyly.

"Hi," Momo said. _So, maybe he's not as bold as he plays himself out to be._

"I don't think I've seen you around here before, and I think I would remember seeing somebody as beautiful as you, if you don't mind me saying so."

_Hmmm, I can't tell if he's a gentleman or a player trying to suck up…_ Momo thought trying to judge Toji's sincerity.

"Sorry, that was probably a little too forward," he apologized and blushed as he ran his fingers through his shaggy hair nervously. "I'm Kazuya Tojigamori, but you can call me Toji. " He reached out his hand.

"No, it's okay, really," Momo said as she shook his hand. _He's adorable_, "I'm Momo, Momo Adachi. We just moved here. But hey, I hate to be rude, but I should probably head home, my parents could probably use some help unpacking."

"Oh, okay, well where do you live?"

"Um, a few blocks that way," Momo answered as she pointed in the direction of the apartment complex she lived in.

"I live a few blocks to the left of there, I can walk back part of the way with you if you'd like."

"That's really nice of you, but won't your girlfriend be upset with you for walking me home?" She thought back to the conversation she had overheard on the bleachers and she didn't want to make any enemies on her first day here, especially over a boy. _And how do I know he's not some creepy pervert…I just met this guy_.

"Girlfriend?" Toji raised his eyebrows and asked in astonishment. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Oh…" Momo said and blushed. _He doesn't have a girlfriend! _She thought happily._ Why am I having these feelings? I don't even know him. I need to settle down!_

"Okay this is a little embarrassing, but I've never had a girlfriend. I'm usually too busy with all of the sports that I play."

Momo laughed, "that's not embarrassing! In fact, I've never had a boyfriend either."

They started walking down the street together. She heard the girls that were sitting on the bleachers talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. _I'm sure they're talking about me…Oh well_.

"No way! How is that possible?"

"I don't know, I guess I'm pretty busy too, with work and the swim team," Momo fibbed. She didn't feel like spilling all of secrets to this stranger, as genuine as he seemed. _He's probably too good to be true_.

"I knew you had to have played some sort of sport," Toji said.

"How did you know?"

"Well, when I first saw you, I'll be honest, I thought you were one of those – materialistic, preppy, artificial, slutty girls – because of your dark skin and orange hair. But then when I winked at you, 

you looked away so fast that I almost didn't see you blush. That's how I knew you weren't one of "those" girls – you're too shy. And then I noticed your muscles – definitely an athlete's body."

_So he was winking at me…_a smile spread across her face, "well thank you for not making assumptions about me." Momo said.

"So what grade are you in?" Toji asked her.

"I'll be a freshman this fall."

"Me too! I'm pretty stoked. Where are you going to go to school? There's like three different schools to choose from, but I have to tell you, the school that I'm going to is definitely the best."

"Which one are you going to go to?"

"Nusimi High. You know the park that we were playing ball at? It belongs to the school," Toji explained. "You should try to get into there, I mean if you want to. I think it would be cool if we went to the same school. You seem like a really nice girl."

"Well thank you, I'll have to talk it over with my parents and everything, but I think it would be cool if we went to the same school too, after all, you are the first person that I have met here, and you seem really nice too."

"Where did you move from?"

"We lived in the suburbs," Momo said. "It was a smaller town I guess you can say. It was about 30 minutes from the coast."

"Oh wow, I bet that was nice."

"Yeah, it was. Well, this is my stop," Momo said when they reached her street.

"Wow! You live here?" I live 2 blocks that way," he said pointing down the street. This is a really nice place."

"I haven't been inside yet, so I'm kind of excited. Well, thank you for walking me home, and it was very nice meeting you!"

"Yeah, no problem, and it was really nice meeting you too. Hey, we're having another baseball game on Monday, it starts at 2, if you want to come by…"

"I can't, I have to work," Momo said regretfully.

"Oh? You already have a job? Where are you working?"

"Yep, at the aquatic center about a block from the park."

"Oh, well maybe I'll have to go swimming after my game to cool off," Toji joked.

Momo blushed, "Well I'll be there"

They both laughed.

"I'll see you around Momo Adachi," Toji said.

"Yeah, see you later," Momo said and turned to walk inside the apartment. _Why is he still standing there?_ She quickened her pace in order to escape inside.

_I got a job and a new friend, a cute one at that! I can definitely say today was a good day!_


	5. The First Summer

Chapter Five – The First Summer

_Phew, it's hot out here today_, Momo thought. It was Monday afternoon, her first day of work, and she was sitting in her lifeguard stand at the pool. Momo glanced down at her cell phone to see what time it was.

"2:00, I think it's about break time, and I'm starving," She said to herself.

All the lifeguards blew their whistles – the signal for them to rotate with the lifeguards off duty. Momo walked over to the food stand, ordered some nachos and water, found a table, and sat down. Two of the other lifeguards sat down at her table with their food.

"Hey new girl, I'm Sunachu," a tall red headed girl said.

"And I'm Tonatski," a boy with blonde hair said.

"Hi, I'm Momo, I just moved here," Momo said. _I'm glad to finally meet some people who have the same "lifeguard" look as I do._

"Well I'm glad to have somebody with some experience on board. We usually get a bunch of inexperienced kids working here for the summer, but I think you'll be different," Tonatski said.

"Yeah, I agree. So how long have you been a lifeguard?" Sunachu said.

"Well, thanks, but I've only been a lifeguard for two years – I'll only be 14 next month, but I've been on some sort of swim team ever since I was in pre-school," Momo answered.

"Oh wow, that's really cool, I'll bet you're really good," Sunachu exclaimed.

"So you'll be 14 next mndth, that puts you in…9th grade?" Tonatski asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited, but I'm still not sure which high school I should go to. I'm thinking about going to Nusimi High," Momo answered. _I wonder how Toji's team is doing in their game_, Momo thought. _I wonder if he'll come by the pool like he said…_

"Oh wow, that's a really good school," Sunachu said.

"What grade are you guys in?" Momo asked.

"We're both seniors at Miroshimo High," Tonatski answered.

"Oh wow, that's really cool. I'll bet you're excited it's your last year. Are you guys going to go to the same college?" Momo asked. _I wonder if they are dating each other._

"Yeah, we're going to go to the University of Tokyo. We'll actually be getting married a month before we go, we're pretty excited," Sunachu answered as she smiled at Tonatski, who returned her smile.

_I wish somebody would smile at me like that. What if I never get married…ugh…I shouldn't be thinking about that!_

"Congratulations on getting married that's really exciting!" Momo said enthusiastically.

"Thanks," Sunachu said.

The group finished eating and talked until the rotation whistles blew once more. Momo looked at the clock on her cell phone.

4:00 o'clock…_The pool closes in an hour, he's not coming._ Momo thought disappointingly. _Oh well, I shouldn't get my hopes up, it's not like we're best friends. Ugh, I can't believe I eve expected him to show up._

She climbed up into her lifeguard stand. Her eyes scanned the pool for any mischief caused by rowdy swimmers. Suddenly a large group of guys came out of the locker room. She recognized a few of the guys from the ball diamond and her heart skipped a beat. _I wonder if he did come!_ She thought.

"Hey Toji!" Momo heard a girl from the pool yell. _That's the same girl from the park…I wonder who she is._ The girl was tall and thin with a pale complexion. She had long black hair that glistened in the sun. _Why did she have to be so pretty_…

"Hey Suzuka, what's going on?" Toji shouted back, but his attention wasn't on the girl in the water. He was looking up at the lifeguard stands, obviously searching for somebody. A smile spread across his face when he spotted her.

Momo waved to him and he waved back. _I wish I could hang out with him, but I have to stay up here until the pool closes._

Toji and the other boys jumped in the water.

An hour later the final whistle blew for everyone to get out of the pool. When everyone was out of the pool, the lifeguards climbed down from their stands and closed up the pool area. About 15 minutes later, Momo walked out of the locker room and started walking home. _He didn't even say goodbye. Maybe this guy is a player…I'm obviously not the only girl confused by him._

"Gosh, don't even wait for me!" Toji said in a pretend offended voice.

Momo turned around to see Toji walking behind her.

"Hey! I didn't know you were still here," Momo said.

"I was just teasing you," Toji said. "I figured you might want somebody to walk home with, and since we we're practically neighbors, I thought I would wait for you."

Momo smiled, "Thanks for waiting! How did your baseball game go?"

"No problem," Toji said. "The game was good. It was really close, but we won 10 – 8."

"Wow, that's awesome," Momo said.

The two friends walked and talked until they reached Momo's apartment building.

"Well thanks for walking me home Toji, that was really nice of you."

"You're welcome. It was fun. But hey, my family and I are leaving for vacation in two days, so I'll be gone for the next two weeks. Just thought I'd let you know so you didn't think I was avoiding you or anything."

"Oh, it's okay, I wouldn't think that. You don't have to explain yourself - after all, we did just meet. I'm not some psycho possessive friend." They both laughed. "So where are you guys going?"

"Haha, yeah, I just wanted to let you know so you didn't get the wrong idea, because I do like spending time with you…you're a lot of fun," Toji said as he smiled at her. "We're going site-seeing around the country for the rest of this week and then we're going to Australia for a week."

"Oh wow, that sounds amazing! You'll definitely have to take lots of pictures! I've never been out of Japan."

"Oh don't worry, I definitely will!"

"Well, have a great trip and lots of fun! And thanks for walking me home!"

"You're welcome, and thanks! Have fun at work! See you in a few weeks!"

"Bye!" Momo shouted as she walked inside.

Momo spent the next few days unpacking her room and helping her parents decorate the apartment. It was substantially smaller than their old house, but Momo liked it.

Momo spent the rest of her summer working at the pool and getting settled into her new home. She visited Yami a few times and even had lunch with Yuske once. She had a great time and was thankful that things weren't awkward between them. She was having so much fun that the short three-month summer break flew by and before she knew it, school would be starting in two weeks.

She had seen Toji here and there over the summer, especially when he decided to walk her home. He had introduced her to several of his friends, including Suzuka. She seemed nice and even invited Momo to go shopping with her and her friends a few times, which shocked Momo. _I thought for sure that she hated me, I mean, since I've moved here it seems like Toji has been giver her less and less attention. _

It was the Friday before school started, and her last day at work. Momo turned in her uniform and locker key. School would be starting next week and the pool would be closed for the fall and winter seasons.

"Just so you know, you'll always have a job here if you'd like Miss Momo," Kiki said.

"Thanks, I'll definitely keep that in mind," Momo replied. "See you next summer!"

When she walked out of the building she spotted Suzuka. The tall girl walked towards her.

"Hey Momo!" She said with a friendly smile.

"Oh, hi Suzuka, what's going on?" Momo was surprised to see her there. Suzuka was nice, but she never went out of her way to meet up with Momo.

"Oh, not a whole lot, I was just wondering if you wanted to go see that new horror movie that just came out….none of my friends like scary movies, but I love them, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go? I know we haven't really spent a lot of time together, but I'd really like it if we could be friends."

"Wow, that's really nice of you. I'd like it if we could be friends too," Momo said. "Did you ask Toji if he wanted to go? I know he loves scary movies."

"Oh, nah, to be honest with you, I'm pretty much over Toji. That was just a schoolgirl crush. I'm sort of seeing this guy, Tae, now. He's not as cute as Toji, but he's funny, and I like spending time with him and that's what matters to me," Suzuka said. "Besides…why are _you_ trying to pawn off Toji? I thought for sure you were into him?"

Momo blushed, "I – We're - " she stammered

"I knew it! You do like him!" Suzuka laughed. "You don't have to be embarrassed, I mean, what girl doesn't like Toji? So are you guys officially dating? I can't believe that twirp didn't tell me, he usually tells me everything. I would think he would have told me about something as big as a first girlfriend, gosh."

"No, you've got it all wrong. We're just friends. I mean I do like Toji, and promise you won't tell him I said that. But we're just friends. I don't even know if _he_ likes me. He hasn't done anything to really suggest that he does. So I have no idea," Momo said.

"Well, I could casually ask him what kind of girls he likes, and what he thinks of you. I mean, you have to give him a little bit of a break, he's completely new at the whole dating thing, his whole life used to revolve around baseball. So, what do you say?"

Momo thought back to when Yami asked to do the same thing when she had said that she liked Yuske – and it turned out that Yuske did like her, but it was too late for anything to happen there. She didn't want to miss her chance with Toji, and Suzuka did say _casually_…

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Thanks Suzuka," Momo finally said.

"Great, I'll talk to him and call you later tonight. So, do you want to go see that movie, or are you a scary movie wimp too?"

Both girls laughed, "Okay, and I'm definitely not a scary movie wimp. Let's go!"

Later that evening, Momo sat on her bed, nervously anticipating Suzuka's phone call. When her cell phone rang, she jumped up and grabbed it.

"Hello?" Momo answered.

"Hey Momo, it's me," Suzuka said.

"Oh, hey! So? What did he say?" Momo blurted out.

"I'm sorry Momo, he said he didn't like girls with tan skin and that he would never date a girl with skin darker than his. When he said that, I decided not to ask about you…just so he didn't think we were up to something. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I mean, it makes sense. He seems like he comes from a good honorable family. If people saw him going out with somebody like me, it would make him look bad. Oh well, school starts in two days, I'll meet lots of new people."

"Yeah, I'm sure you will, you're a really nice person. I wish we could have gotten to know each other better, you know?"

"Well, we'll have all school year, it's not like I won't ever see you again," Momo said.

"Actually, I'm going to a private school on the east coast, so I won't be around here very much. But we should definitely keep in touch."

"Oh, that sucks, but yeah, we'll definitely keep in touch."

The girls talked for a little while longer, and then hung up.

"Well, good luck with school, talk to you soon," Momo said.

"Okay, you too! Bye!" Suzuka said.

Momo sat in her bed and stared blankly at the wall. _Wow, I can't believe Toji said those things, I thought for sure that he liked me. Oh well, who could blame him. I'll just have to put on tons of sunblock and avoid the sun as much as possible and when my skin is finally lighter than Toji's, maybe I'll confess how I feel. Until then, I'll just have to be patient, and hopefully it won't be too late by then…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened and her mother was standing in the doorway.

"Hey sweetie, you should get some sleep, we have an early day tomorrow."

"Okay. Do we have any Advil? I have a headache."

"Sure, I'll bring you some and a glass of water," her mother said.

"Thanks," Momo said gratefully.

After taking her medicine, she laid down and went to sleep, thinking about all of the fun things that she and her mother are going to do tomorrow.


	6. Fallen Beauty

Chapter 6 – Fallen Beauty

"Rise and shine sweetheart, it's time to get going."

Momo jumped out of bed with excitement. Her mom was taking her to the beauty parlor to get her hair trimmed and then to the mall to go shopping for some new clothes.

"I'll be ready in fifteen!" Momo exclaimed. _I still have this nasty headache, ugh, I'm going to need to take some more Advil before we leave._

About a half hour later, they were sitting in the waiting area at the beauty salon. The hair stylist called her name and took her to the back.

"So what are we doing today?" The stylist asked.

"Just a trimming and layering. I need my bangs cut a little too," Momo answered.

"Okay, that's easy enough. Do you want me to style it when I'm done?"

"Yes please."

After her hair was done, her mother surprised her with manicures and pedicures.

"I figured a little stress relief before school started would be good and a little girl pampering would be the best way to do it," her mother said smiling at her beautiful daughter.

Momo laughed, "I definitely agree."

About a half hour later, they were walking through the crowded walkways in the mall, hair and nails done. They went to a few of Momo's favorite stores, and a few that her mother dragged her into. By the end of the day, the trunk and backseat of the car were completely full with bags of clothes and a few decorative items that her mother had bought.

"Thanks for taking me out today," Momo said as they pulled out of the parking garage. "I had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome. I know you're nervous about going to a new school on Monday, but I know you'll be just fine," her mother said.

"I know, I'm just worried that people are going to take one look at me and think they have me all figured out. I'm going to have to explain my looks – everything all over again," Momo said as she looked down at her tan hands sitting in her lap.

Her mother reached over and placed a hand on her daughter's hands, "I know honey. I know exactly how you feel. When I left California to move here with your father, everyone treated me 

like a, like a… slutty bimbo. But I promise, everything will work out for the better. You're a great, beautiful girl, Momo. Everything will be okay."

They drove a little ways in silence, but Momo's nerves were starting to get the better of her.

"Do you ever miss the United States?" She asked her mother.

"I do, a lot sometimes. I miss being able to see my sister and my parents. But I love your father with all of my heart, and that's what's important right now. When your father gets some vacation time built up with his new job, we'll take a trip so you can see your grandma and grandpa Smith. How does that sound?"

"That sounds amazing," Momo said enthusiastically. Even though her mother was white and from the United States, she had never been there and had always dreamed of going someday.

Her mother looked like a typical white woman, sandy-blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin.

_That's why I tan so easily,_ Momo told herself for the thousandth time. _But I get most of my other looks from father._

When they arrived at the apartment complex, Momo unloaded the car while her mother began working on supper.

"How did the shopping go?" Mr. Adachi asked his wife.

"It was good," she answered. "Although, we had an interesting conversation on the way home."

"Oh?" he said.

"She asked me about the United States. I think she's worried that people won't accept her because she's half white. I feel like it's my fault she's so self-conscious," she said.

"You can't blame yourself for this dear, I mean I'm half to blame too," he said jokingly. "She'll be alright. It may be tough at first, but good things always come to good people, and our daughter is the best."

Mrs. Adachi laughed, "I know you're right, it's amazing how things work out." She leaned over and kissed her husband on the cheek.

After supper, Momo went to her room to put all of her new clothes away. She started clipping the tags off of her clothes, when she suddenly felt really hot. She put her hand to her forehead. _I'm burning up._ She walked down the hall to living room where her parents were watching television.

"Mother, where's the thermometer? I think I have a fever."

"Oh no, I hope you're not getting sick. Maybe it's just your nerves?" Her mother said as she walked into the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

"I don't think so," Momo said shaking her head. "I feel like, like my face is on fire…I don't think nerves would do that."

"Here, let's see what your temperature is," she said as she slid the thermometer under her daughters tongue.

Her mother put her hand against Momo's forehead.

"Oh my, you are hot. Do you still have a headache?"

Momo shook her head yes. It had been more than eight hours since she had taken the Advil, meaning it was completely worn off.

A few seconds later, the thermometer beeped.

"103.1!" Her mother gasped. "Alright young lady, it's bedtime for you. Go lay down and I'll grab a cold rag and some more Advil."

After laying the cold rag on Momo's forehead, her mother turned off the light.

"We'll see how you feel in the morning. If your fever hasn't broke by then, I'll take you to the hospital. A fever that high can be dangerous if it lasts for too long."

Momo tossed and turned and found herself gasping for air and coughing throughout the night. The next morning, she crawled out of bed to go to the bathroom but collapsed in the hallway before she got there.

"Momo? Darling, are you okay?" Her mother called.

No answer.

Her mother came out of her bedroom and found her daughter passed out in the hall.

"Oh my goodness! Mati, I need your help!"

Mr. Adachi quickly came at his wife's beckon.

"Here, let me get her to the car," he said as he picked Momo up. "Samantha, grab a blanket, she's shivering. I'll meet you in the car."

About an hour later, a nurse called Momo's parents from the waiting room of the hospital.

"Mr. and Mrs. Adachi?"

Her parents followed the nurse down the hospital hallway to their daughter's room. The doctor was standing next to her bed, writing in a chart.

"This is Dr. Domisko, he's been monitoring your daughter," the nurse said before she left the room.

"Hi folks," Dr. Domisko said as he shook hands with Momo's parents. "From what I can see, Momo seems to be suffering from a severe case of pneumonia. We have her on some IV antibiotics and fluids."

"So she's going to be alright?" Her mother asked.

"Well, there are some risks, but I think you caught it early enough to prevent any serious problems. If untreated, pneumonia can be a very serious illness. But like I said, I think we caught it in time and we are going to monitor her very closely."

"How long do you expect her to be here?" Her father asked.

"Well, it's hard to say, every case is different, it could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It all depends on her day to day progress. I'm sorry I can't offer you anymore information"

"Oh no, thank you for everything," her mother said.

"Well, if there is anything else, let me know, and I'll be back to check on Miss Momo later this evening. In the meanwhile, make yourselves comfortable. Feel free to leave if you need to, our nurses will take very good care of her." Dr. Domisko said as he shook hands with Mati and Samantha once more. The Dr. set Momo's chart on the table next to the bed and left the room.

She turned to her husband, "do you need to go to work? I know you have that meeting today?"

"I really do need to go. Will you be alright here until I get off work? I should be able to get off early and I'll come by and pick you up on my way home," he replied.

"Yeah, that would be fine," she said. "Just give me a call when you're on your way."

"Alright, I'll see you in a couple of hours," he kissed Momo, who was sound asleep, on the cheek, then kissed his wife, and headed out the door.

Samantha walked over to the nurses' station to get a phone book. She flipped open the book to the "n" section.

"Nu –r, Nu –s, Nu –s, Nusimi High. There you are," she said aloud as her finger went down the page. She dialed the number to the school on her cell phone.

"Nusimi High, how may I help you?" The secretary answered.

"Hello, this is Samantha Adachi. My daughter, Momo, is enrolled in your school, but she won't be able to make it on Monday. She's in the hospital with pneumonia and I don't know when she'll be out."

"Okay, I will let her teacher know, thank you for calling and I hope your daughter gets to feeling better soon."

"Okay, thank you."

Momo stayed in the hospital for the next five days. On Thursday afternoon, she was finally discharged and able to go home. She was feeling much better but was still a little weak from being sick for so long. When she got home, her mother tucked her into bed.

"Do you want any soup or anything?"

"No, I'm tired of soup. Can I have a hamburger?" Momo asked.

"Well, I guess you _are_ feeling better. I'll go make you one. In the meantime, you just rest. Hopefully you'll be able to go to school on Monday." Her mother left the room to go make her food.

Momo glanced over at her cell phone laying on her nightstand. It had obviously died while she was in the hospital. She leaned over and plugged it into the charger. She turned it on and saw that she had nine missed calls. _I wonder who all those are from._ She thought. She flipped through her missed call list and found that seven of them were from Toji and two were from Yami. _He actually called me!_ Momo thought delightedly. They had exchanged numbers earlier in the summer, but neither one of them had called the other. _I hope he doesn't think I'm ignoring him since I didn't call him back._ There was no way that Toji could have known she was in the hospital. Since her mother had called the school, her name wouldn't appear on the absent board and Toji didn't have Momo's house number, nor did he know which apartment was hers. _I'll call him later tonight to explain everything_, she decided.

After eating her hamburger, she listened to the five voicemails on her phone.

"You have five new voicemails," the phone said. "First message, received three days ago: Hey Momo, its Yami! I just wanted to see how your first day of high school went. Mine was great! Can't wait to hear all about it! Bye! – End of message. Next received message, sent three days ago: Hey Momo, it's me, Toji, I was just wondering why you weren't in school today. Um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow maybe. See ya. – End of message. Next received message, sent two days ago: Hey Momo, it's me again, my mother said you were in the hospital with pneumonia, I hope you feel better. Call me when you feel better, kay?" _Mother must have called Yami's parents and told them I was sick_. She listened to the next two messages, they were both from Toji. "Hey Momo, sorry to keep bothering you, I was just wondering what's going on. I hope you didn't decide to switch schools at the last minute. I haven't seen your name on the absent board…so I was just wondering…anyways, call me back if you want to. See you later. – End of message. Next received message sent yesterday: "Hey Momo, it's me, _again_. I won't call you anymore after this, I promise, but I'm just kind of worried. I hope nothing's wrong, or that your not mad at me for something. If you are, you can tell me. Please call me back, I really want to talk to you. I kind of miss seeing you around here. Bye. – End of messages. Press "1" to return to the main menu, press 2 to replay messages…" Momo hung up her phone and just laid there for a few minutes. _I'll call Toji first, so he doesn't think I'm upset with him, then I'll call Yami._

Momo reopened her cell phone and dialed Toji's number.

"Hello?" Toji answered.

"Hey Toji, its Momo," she replied.

"Hey! I'm so glad you called, I thought you were mad at me or something. You're not mad, right?"

"Of course I'm not mad at you, silly."

"Okay, good. So where have you been? I was so excited to when I saw that you were in my class…" Toji trailed off.

"I got pneumonia and I was in the hospital for like five days," she said.

"Oh wow, I had no idea. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I still have a little bit of a cough, but for the most part I'm back to normal,"

"That's good to hear. Are you going to come to school tomorrow?"

"No, my mom said she wants me to rest and that I can go Monday. Have I missed a lot already?" she asked.

"Um, not too much. I can bring you the assignments that we've done tomorrow if you want."

"Thanks Toji, that would be great!" Momo said gratefully.

"No problem. Do you have any of your books or anything?"

"No, I don't."

"Okay, I'll get them from the teacher then.

"Thank you so much! I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Well, I hate to cut you short, but I should get off of here so I can get my homework done," Toji said.

"Okay, bye! See you tomorrow!"


	7. Fitting In

Chapter 7 – Fitting In

Monday morning, Momo walked into her classroom and sat down at an empty desk in the middle of the classroom. It was early and only a few students and the teacher were in the room. She set her bookbag down on her seat and pulled out the assignments that she had completed over the weekend. She took the papers up to the teachers desk.

"Hi, I'm Momo Adachi," she said as she handed the teacher her papers.

"Hellos Miss Adachi. I'm glad to see you are feeling better. I'm Mr. Tonyo. Thank you for completing these assignments so promptly," he said as he took the papers. "Now let's see, I think I have you sitting in the second row, and three desks back. I have assigned seats for now so I can get to know all of you students."

"Okay, thank you," she said before finding her desk. She sat down right as a group of students came through the door. The four girls walked past her and sat down on the other side of the classroom. _This is going to be fun, everyone's already formed their groups of friends and I'm newbie, not to mention a lot of these people probably went to junior high together…_

"Hey Momo!" A familiar voice said. She looked to her left and saw Toji. He was setting his stuff down at the desk right next to hers.

"Hey! How was your weekend?"

"Oh, not too bad…" he started.

"Hey Toujigamori!" A pretty brunette interrupted.

"Oh, hey Sae," he said as the girl sat down behind Toji. "Hey, this is my friend Momo. She just moved here from the west coast, Momo, this is Sae Kashiwagi, we went to the same middle school."

"Hi Sae," Momo said. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, we should talk after class," Sae said as she gave Momo an angelic smile.

Sae was very pretty. She was tall and thin and had short dark hair that shimmered in the light. She had big brown eyes and the kind of pale skin that any Japanese girl would love to have. _Wow, she looks like a model. I wonder if Toji and she will end up together. _She thought back to what Suzuka had said about Toji not liking girls with dark skin. Toji and Sae were laughing about something, but Momo was too wound up in her thoughts and missed what was said. _I guess I'm not the only girl that Toji acts that way around…but Sae did call Toji by his full name, so they can't be too close…right?_

"Alright class, it's time to get started," the teacher said. "Please open your math books to page 12."

Momo looked around the classroom as she pulled out her math book and opened it up. Almost all of the seats were filled.

By the time lunch came around, Momo had sat through three of her classes – math, science, and history. After lunch, she had gym, english, and homeroom. She was a little worried about the test in her english class. She had read, and understood, the story that she was going to be tested on, but english and literature were not her strongest subjects. She got her food and looked around the cafeteria for a familiar face. She had met a few people in the hallways and before class, but they had just merely been introductions. She spotted Toji, but he was sitting with the guys from the baseball team. Then she saw a girl that sat in the desk in front of her, Shansi, but their table was full.

"Hey Momo, come sit with us!" Somebody called.

Momo turned around to see Sae sitting at a table with a two other girls. "Hey Sea, thanks!" She walked over and sat down.

"Hey, don't sweat it," Sae said. "This is Nami and Kako. They sit behind you."

"Hey guys," Momo said cheerfully as she sat down.

"Hey," Kako and Nami said hesitantly.

"Don't worry guys, it's not like that, Momo is on the swim team and she used to be a life guard for like three years," Sae explained to clear up the awkwardness at the table.

"Oh," Kako said as she looked at Momo. "I'm glad you cleared that up. I was beginning to question your taste in friends, Sae. I'm sorry I made assumptions about you Momo."

"Yeah, me too," Nami said.

"It's okay. It happens a lot," Momo replied. _Thanks Sae! I'm so glad that I've finally found a true friend, not counting Toji of course,_ Momo thought.

After lunch, Sae and Momo walked into the girls' locker room to get ready for gym class.

"What are we doing in gym class?" Momo asked as she pulled her gym shirt over her head.

"Basketball stuff, it's so lame," Sae answered.

"Sounds like fun," Momo said sarcastically.

The girls walked into the gym and waited for the teacher to give them instructions. _I don't know anybody in this class, except Sae. I'm so glad Toji introduced us._ Although Toji had gym class at the same time, the students were separated into a boys class and a girls class, and they weren't allowed to interact with each other.

"Run five laps around the gymnasium and then I want you to pair up and practice some of the things that we learned last week – dribbling, passing, and shooting baskets," the teacher yelled out.

The class took off around the gym. When they were done, they paired up to practice their basketball techniques.

_There must be an odd number of students…_Momo concluded after looking around the gym for someone to practice with. Everyone was already paired up. She turned to see who Sae was practicing with. She was a tall brown-headed girl. She looked over to the other side of the gym where the guys were playing. _How embarrassing! Toji is going to see me looking like a loser,_ Momo thought. She turned around so Toji wouldn't see her. She started dribbling the ball that she had in her hands.

"Hey Momo!"

"She turned around and saw Sae walking towards her.

"I didn't know you didn't have anyone to practice with. Come on, I'll practice with you."

"Thanks Sae!" _Wow, I'm so glad that I met her. She's so great!_

About an hour later, Momo was sitting in english class working on the essay portion of her test. _Dang it! I messed up again!_ Momo thought. She turned her pencil upside down to erase what she had written, but the eraser was totally gone. _And this is a brand new pencil. Maybe I can get it to erase just a little bit more..._She started rubbing it against her paper but it just smudged the paper and made it worse. _Grrrrrr….this is ridiculous._

"Psssss, here, use mine," Sae said as she handed Momo her big pink eraser.

Momo smiled gratefully, "Thanks Sae, you're a lifesaver."

She erased her mistake and started to hand the eraser back to Sae.

"No, you can keep it. I don't use it very often," Sae said.

"Thanks Sae," Momo said. _Wow, I don't know what I would do if I hadn't met Sae._

After homeroom, Momo went to her locker and put her regular shoes on. She closed up her locker and started heading for the door.

"Hey Momo! Wait up!"

She stopped and looked back to see Sae running towards her.

"Do you want to go to pool with Kako and me?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. My mother needed me to go to the grocery store for her," she fibbed. _Man, I really want to go, but I have to stay out of the sun. Maybe I'll have a chance to be with Toji once my tan is gone._

"Oh, that's too bad. I was hoping to introduce you to a few more people, but maybe next time. And why are you still wearing your school jacket, it's hot out. Once school is over, you can take your uniform off."

"Yeah, that would be fun. Thanks for inviting me, Sae, but you guys have fun. And I know, I was just cold inside and just haven't taken it off yet."

"Oh, okay, well I'll see you later!" Sae said.

Momo walked out the door and headed towards the sidewalk to head home. _I'll try to walk in the shade._ As she walked past the fountain in front of the school, she spotted Toji talking to a group of people. She noticed that she was writing something on a piece of paper. _It must be his cell phone number,_ she decided after watching Toji give the piece of paper to a girl standing beside him. _He barely talked to me today…he's probably too embarrassed to be seen with me._ She pushed her discouraging thoughts away and started walking again. _It'll do me good not to think about him…at least not until my tan is gone._

"Hey Momo! Hold up!"

Momo recognized the voice immediately. It was Toji. After he caught up with her, the two started walking again.

"I was hoping I'd see you walking by while I was standing out here," Toji said.

"Well, you found me," Momo said, still perplexed by her emotions.

Toji smiled, "And I'm sure glad I did. I almost missed you, one of the girls in our math class needed the assignment for tomorrow so I had to write it down really quick."

_So it wasn't a phone number!_ Momo thought excitedly. She smiled, "Thanks for waiting for me,"

"No problem. Sorry I didn't' get to talk to you much in class. I'm kind of a nerd and take my education pretty seriously. I'm hoping to get into a really good college with a baseball scholarship."

"Oh, that's okay, I understand" Momo said.

"I was thinking about stopping at the ice cream parlor on the way home, do you want to come?" Toji asked her.

"Um, I'd really like to, but I don't have any money with me. I didn't bring my wallet to school today," Momo said disappointedly.

"Oh, it's okay, I can pay for it this time, but you'll owe me the next one," Toji said with a grin.

Momo laughed, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! I mean, if I force you into this deal, I get ice cream again and I get to spend time with you, so it's a win-win situation for me."

Momo blushed and looked away for a moment, "Okay, it's a deal!"

They got their ice cream and walked home.

That night Momo laid in bed thinking about the day. _I can't believe I was so worried. Today was so great! I met a really good friend, I aced my english test, and Toji asked me to get ice cream with him! I didn't really make any other friends though. Everyone's already formed their group of friends. Oh well, at least I have Sae. Maybe she'll introduce me to some more people._ Momo fell asleep early. She was still recuperating from being sick the previous week.

As the weeks went by however, Momo found school more and more disliking. The rumor wheels had started turning and someone had started spreading rumors about her. One day she was walking down the hall and overheard some girls talking about her.

(Flashback)

"Hey look, it's Momo. I heard she slept with like half the guys from her old school and she's already slept with like four people here and she's only been at this school for like three months."

"I heard she slept with a teacher too, what a slut. I guess she's been around the block."

The two girls started laughing. Tears sprung to Momo's eyes. She clenched her fists and ran to the bathroom. When she walked in, the girls who were already in there gave her dirty looks.

"Slut." One of them mumbled under her breath as she passed by.

That was the last straw. Momo couldn't take it anymore, she was furious, "You should shut up! You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about!" She ran into a stall and slammed the door shut. She heard giggling and began to cry. _Why would people say those things about me when they don't even know me! And of course none of them had the decency to even ask me about it!_

(Present)

It was a chilly November day and Momo was putting on her fur-lined jean jacket for her walk home. It was Wednesday afternoon and she was looking forward to her long weekend. The students were on fall break and had a four day weekend. The rumors had died down and people started being a little less judgmental towards her when they finally got to know her better, but she was still glad to get away from the drama.

"Hey Momo! What are you going to do over break?" Sae asked.

Momo was starting to get a little annoyed with Sae. Sae had started copying everything that Momo did. She bought a lot of the same clothes that Momo did, wore her hair in similar styles, and wore the same fingernail polish and make-up that Momo wore. Sae has also been getting angry with Momo for no reason lately. Somebody had even told her that Sae was the one who started the rumors, but Momo didn't want to believe it. _Why would she do that? She's always been so nice to me, _Momo thought. But Sae did seem like she was acting different around her. She was more opinionated and bossy than usual.

"Um, I think I might do some shopping on Sunday. I know tomorrow and Friday I'm going to get all of these assignments done. I can't believe they loaded us with so much homework over the break. It's not really even a break now," Momo replied.

"Oh, I know! It's ridiculous!" Sae agreed. " But anyways, Do you mind if I go to the mall with you on Sunday? I need to get some new winter clothes and some accessories."

_Good grief, I don't think I've been to the mall without her since I've met her._ "Sure, that would be great. I could always use your opinion," Momo fibbed.

"Great! I'll give you a call Saturday night so we can set the details. But I better get going, mother wants me home right after school for something. I'll see you on Sunday!" Sae said as she ran off.

Momo waved goodbye and headed out the door to go home. She walked home alone for the first time in months. Toji had a baseball meeting after school and wouldn't be going home until later.

_I wonder if I should trust Sae. She seems so different from when I first met her. Was it all an act? Did she really start all of those rumors about me? Ugh, I wish my friends would stop betraying me. The only one who hasn't is Yami and Toji. I don't know how much more of Sae's copying I can take…ugh. I wish I knew what was going on. Oh well, it's not like I've never dealt with this before. _

_Stay tuned for the next chapter to Sae's true character! Please R&R!_


	8. The Moment of Truth

**DISCLAIMER:** Okay, this next set of chapters is _**NOT**_ mine. They are a written version of Peach Girl: Love Hurricane by Tokyopop and belong to Miwa Ueda. All I did was sit down and watch the series and typed what was said. I did change a few things because I didn't like how they were done in the series. So don't sue me, I'm not trying to take credit for the characters, plots, ideas, or anything that Miwa created. I had to include Love Hurricane in my story because what I'm writing takes place before and after, so it would be weird to not include it. So if you haven't seen the show, this is great for you! So as I said before, I take NO credit for these next chapters…at all. I'll let you know when the series is over and its back to my story.

Chapter 8 – The Moment of Truth

Sunday afternoon, Momo met Sae in front of the school and then headed towards the mall just down the street. They walked through the mall, finding their favorite stores.

"Oh, let's go in here. They have some really cute things in the window and they're having a sale!" Sae exclaimed.

The girls walked into the store and Momo walked over to where the tote bags were. _Oooo, this one is really cute_, she thought as she examined the pink flowery bag more thoroughly. _It would match my swimsuit perfectly._

"Ew, that's hideous! You should put that back!" Sae screeched.

"I think it's really cute," Momo protested.

"You seriously have a bad taste in fashion. Flowers were so last season, and I never liked them then either," Sae criticized as she looked through the bags. "Now this one is cute."

Momo looked over to see the bag Sae was holding up. _That's the ugliest thing I have ever seen._ "I don't have anything that would match that," Momo fibbed. The bag was black with army green trim and had brown beads handing from the bottom of it. _I know Sae would never use that ugly thing. What is she up to? _"Besides, I don't have enough money with me today to get either one 

of them, so I'll have to come back tomorrow anyways. And I think I'm going to get the pink one. I really don't care if other people don't like it, I do, and that's all that matters to me."

"You're seriously making a big mistake," Sae said matter-of-factly.

_I don't care what she thinks,_ Momo thought.

A few hours later, the girls left the mall and headed their separate ways, both girls had several bags in hand. Momo had bought a few sweaters and a pair of tall leather boots. She had also found a few other things that she would go back to get on Monday after school. She would buy the pink tote bag, a hair clip that she found to match it, and some gold hooped earrings.

"Bye Momo! Thanks for letting me tag along. It was fun!" Sae yelled over her shoulder.

"No problem Sae, I'm glad you had a good time!" Momo called back.

The next morning, Momo grabbed some money out of her piggy bank and stuffed it into her purse. She grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and headed out the front door. She was running a few minutes behind and Toji was probably waiting on her. She ran down the stairs and out the lobby door. _Just as I thought._ Toji was sitting on the bench next to the apartment complex. _He's so cute! _She hadn't told anyone how she felt about Toji, she wasn't even entirely sure as to how she felt about him. But there was one thing she did know, she got butterflies every time she saw him.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Toji!" She apologized as she ran over to him. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"It's okay, we won't be late for school. And the walk to school would be rather boring without you, so I had to wait," he teased.

Momo laughed as a light blush found its way to her cheeks, "Did you have a good break?"

"Yeah, I did a lot of reading since it was too cold to really do anything outside. What did you do?"

"Sae and I went shopping on Sunday, but that's about it. I got all of my assignments done on Friday surprisingly."

"I'm glad you and Sae are really good friends. She seems so nice."

"Yeah…she's nice…when she wants to be, I guess."

"Wait a minute, that didn't sound too reassuring," Toji said with a raised eyebrow. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Well, nothing really _happened_, she's just kind of annoying sometimes, that's all. She tries to copy a lot of things that I do and she's pretty opinionated sometimes too." Momo paused, "I also heard that she was the one who started all those nasty rumors about me a few months ago, but I don't know if that's true or not – it's just what I've heard."

"Hmmm, I don't think Sae would do something like that, she's too nice," Toji said scratching his chin. "I don't know what to say about her copying you or being opinionated. I guess that's just how she is. I mean everyone can be like that sometimes. And, I mean, who wouldn't want to copy you, you're a great girl with a great sense of fashion and class."

_According to Sae, my sense of fashion sucks_, Momo wanted to say, but decided to hold her tongue. It didn't seem like she'd be able to change Toji's opinion about Sae. He had known her since they were in first grade and he had only known her for about six months.

**(Beginning of ****Miwa's**** Peach Girl: Love Hurricane – aka – not my fanfic!)**

As the two approached the park on the backside of the school, they noticed a few guys out on the ball diamond with a coach.

"Oh, shoot," Toji said.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot that I had a baseball meeting this morning before school started," he answered her.

"Uh-oh," Momo said.

"Well it wasn't really a meeting, it was more like a meet the coach and throw some balls around to see if you're good enough to make the team. I'm pretty late, but I think I should go check it out. I'll see you in class," Toji said as he walked towards the group of guys.

"See you later," Momo replied as she walked towards the front of the school. As she turned a corner, a man who had just crossed the street came up behind her and grabbed her butt.

"Hey cutie," he said.

Momo squealed and started whacking the man with her purse.

"Get off me you freaking pervert!" She yelled.

The man fell to the ground and was covering his face with his hands in order to block her blows. She looked up and noticed a group of her classmates staring. Sae was amongst them. _Great, that's all I need. I was hoping they would have forgotten about my rumored reputation by now, but this is just going to bring everything all back. _She left the man on the ground and headed for the safety of the school building.

Once inside, Momo went straight to her locker to change into her school slippers. As she was taking her shoes off, Sae showed up.

"Hey Momo, I saw what happened this morning," Sae said with a smirk.

"Old guys like that really piss me off!" Momo said slamming her locker shut.

Sae laughed, "You really can't see why they come at you like that? I mean, no offense, but any guy would think you're available."

_Grrrrr…._

"Wait, what's the deal with the bag, Sae?" Momo said as soon as she noticed what Sae was carrying.

"Oh, this?" She said innocently as she held up the tote bag that Momo was planning to buy after school. "I picked it up last night."

"You went back after I left you?" Momo questioned. _That's the same bag that I wanted. What the Hell!_

"Yeah, after you went home last night, I decided I would look great with it. So I bought it," Sae replied as if there was nothing wrong with what she had done.

"But why?" Momo asked, "I thought you didn't like flowery bags."

"Hm, well I was wrong," Sae said and simply walked off.

_You liar! All day at the mall you were telling me what crappy taste I had and everything and today you show up with the one thing that I wanted most! What a conniving pinhead!_ Momo thought with clenched fists and teeth. Her anger accelerated when she heard people complimenting Sae's bag.

"Oh my gosh, Sae, did you get a new bag?" One girl said.

"It's cute!" Another girl exclaimed.

"Yeah," Sae said and laughed.

Momo turned around and stared in astonishment. _I'm so sick of her copying me. She wears the same shoes, socks, skirt, make-up, and nail polish as me. And the thing that really gets under my skin is that she looks better in it than I do. Not to mention, she has a thin frame and the pale complexion that all the guys seem to go for these days._ She watched Sae walk down the hallway towards the classroom.

"Hey there Sae," some guy said.

Sae giggled flirtatiously and smiled, "See you in class."

Momo started walking in the same direction as Sae. _Grrrr…I've only known her for three months and I already want to hurt her, badly sometimes._ She stopped abruptly when she heard Sae say,

"Oh hey Toujigamori! How's it going?"

"It's all good," Toji replied. "Hey Momo, I forgot to tell you, I ran into Tetsyui and Matchkow (Two boys from Toji's baseball team that Momo had met) yesterday."

"Oh really? How are they? It feels like forever since I've seen them," Momo said.

"They're cool. And they both made me promise to say hello to you." Toji replied as he handed her a folded piece of paper that he had pulled out of his backpack.

Momo blushed, "Awe…"

"It's just a little photo that we took," he said. "See you in class."

"Thanks Toji!" Momo said as he walked to the classroom.

She unfolded the paper to look at the picture. _Mmmm, I can't believe it! Toji gave me a picture of himself!_

Momo couldn't stop smiling that day. During art class, the students were sitting outside painting sceneries. As she was painting, she couldn't help but drift into a daydream, but was quickly jerked out of it by Sae's comments.

"Well Momo, you certainly do enjoy chatting it up with Toji, don't you? Considering you don't speak a word to any other guys."

Momo looked up from her painting, "No, no, we're just friends. We sit by each other in homeroom, and he's the first friend that I made when I first moved here."

"Sure…." Sae said.

"Well, uh, time to go change out the water for the colors. I'll be back in a few minutes!" Momo said, cutting Sae off. She stood up abruptly and ran off with two buckets of water. _That was close. I can't let her know._ She slowed down to a walk as she passed a group of guys sitting in the courtyard painting.

"The hottest girl in school is easily Sae Kashiwagi," she heard some guy say.

"No doubt! What a fox!" Another guy said. "She's got the best skin, the perfect shade of white."

"Yeah, she looks even better when she's standing next to Momo," the first guy agreed.

_What!_ Momo stopped to listen.

"Totally," the other guy said. "What's the deal with her skin anyway?"

"Maybe she goes to a tanning salon," another guy suggested.

"Don't be an idiot," she heard a familiar voice say – it was Toji's. "Momo's been on the swim team forever and she used to be a lifeguard. That's the reason she's always so tan. You should keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about."

_Awe! Toji!_ A huge grin spread across Momo's face

At the end of her last class, Momo sat at her desk in the classroom (class 1-3) rubbing on sunblock. Even though it was November, the temperature was still fairly warm.

"You know, if you keep slapping on all that sunblock, you're going to clog up all your pores, Momo," Sae warned.

"I don't care. I just want to make sure I don't get any more sun. I'm tired of being so dark," Momo replied. She glanced at Toji out of the corner of her eye. _When my skin is finally whiter than Toji's, I'll tell him how I feel. _

Sae just stared at her.

When the bell rang, everyone piled into the hallway. Momo raced for her locker, trying to escape Sae, but Sae was not one to be avoided if there was something that she wanted to say. Sae caught up to Momo and grabbed her arm.

"So, is there some guy you're digging on?" Sae asked.

Momo just stared at her blankly. _What can I say? I don't want to lie, but there's no way I can tell her the truth about Toji…she'll only try to take him away…just like everything else._

"I knew it!" Sae exclaimed, breaking her thoughts.

_Oh no! She knows!_

"Let me guess, it's…To -"

Momo laughed nervously and pushed Sae playfully. "I tried so hard to hide it, but you pick up on these things so well Sae," she said as she glanced around the hallway. "I suppose I have to tell you know…" She continued looking at all the guys present in the halls and spotted the American boy that she had saved at the beach before moving to the city. He was standing there flirting with some blonde girl. She didn't really know him, but she learned that his name was Kairi Okayasu, that he was in class 2-3, and that he was one of the most popular boys in school. He was also a big player who only went after the "pretty" girls. _Perfect! And he's not even paying attention!_

Momo smiled, "The guy I like is right over there, yeah, that's him," she said as she pointed to Kairi. _Good thing Kairi, Mr. Unobtainable, was standing there._ When she looked up at Kairi to make sure he hadn't noticed anything, he smiled and winked at her. She turned around, completely embarrassed.

_Oh no! He WAS paying attention! Now what am I going to do? What if he comes over here and wants to know what's going on? What did I just get myself into! _Momo was freaking out and didn't notice Sae sneaking over to where Kairi was standing. _Kairi's never winked at me before! What's going on, and the most popular guy in the school, I mean geeze! Sure, he's hot, but I've never really paid attention to him before, I mean, he's way out of my league. I'm not surprised all the other girls go crazy over him, but still, my Toji's a 100 times cuter._ When she turned around she noticed Sae talking to Kairi.

_Uh, uh, huh, oh, SAE!!_ Sae was laughing and flirting with Kairi. _I knew she would pull something like this!_

"Oh, Kairi, you're so funny!" She heard Sae say while laughing.

"So, what's up with the new bag?" Kairi asked, ignoring her flirting.

"Oh, this?" She said, "I just love it!"

_Oh gosh, there she goes with the bag again. I can't stand listening to her crap. _With that, Momo walked to the janitors' closet to get the broom – she was on sweeping duty for her classroom today.

"That's a 180 from last night," Kairi retorted.

"Huh?" Sae gasped as her eyes widened. Nobody had ever confronted her like this before.

"I was there at the mall last night and heard you go off about how crappy it was. After your friend said that she liked it, you ripped her a new one about how her fashion sense sucks."

"But, it's not like I stole the bag from her…" but Kairi cut her off again.

"Look Sae, I've always been a big fan of the girls who are nice. Skinny, pale things like you just don't do it for me. I prefer healthy looking girls with some character, like your friend. Keep up this selfish routine and you'll end up alone," Kairi said and walked away.

Sae was dumbstruck. _How dare he talk to me like that! He doesn't know anything! Jerk!_

She walked into the classroom and slammed the bag on the desk that Momo was sweeping under.

"Here! Take your stupid, tacky bag!"

"What?" Momo asked, slightly startled.

Sae put her hands on her hips and walked away without saying another word.

"What climbed in her butt?" Kako asked once Sae was out of hearing range.

"I don't know," Momo replied.

"Maybe Kairi didn't share her feelings," another girl standing there said.

Momo's eyes widened, _that means she did confess her feelings to him. Kairi, you're my hero! In one swift move, you tore up Sae and earned my love, but not as much as Toji of course._

The next day, Momo walked into the classroom and walked over to her group of friends.

"Morning guys," she said.

Everyone stopped and stared at her with weird expressions on their faces. She glanced up at the chalkboard and was horrified after reading what it said.

Momo hearts Kairi

Momo's mouth dropped open. _Who would write something like that!_ She glanced over at Sae, who had an over-innocent expression on her face. _I know it was you._

Later that day in the courtyard, Momo confronted Sae about the chalkboard incident.

"Why did you do that?" Momo asked her.

"Do what?" Sae asked in an angelic tone.

"You're saying it wasn't you who wrote that stuff on the board?"

"Wrote what?"

"Cut it out! You're the one person who knows I like him. Who else would have written that stuff? What's going to happen when this leaks out across the school?" Momo said with clenched fists. _I wish she would just fess up! I know it was her!_

"What does it matter? It's the truth, right?" Sae countered.

"Huh?" Those words caught Momo off guard.

"Look, I didn't write it. People like to eavesdrop all the time at this school, but you never stopped to consider that, did you?" With that Sae turned around and walked off.

"Oh whatever! Nobody else has a reason to write those things!" Momo shouted after her angrily. Momo stomped back into the school. _She doesn't want people to talk about her getting dumped on by Kairi, so she hangs me out to dry in front of the whole school. What a cow!_ As she rounded a corner in the hallway, she ran into a few of Kairi's groupies. They stepped in front of her so that she couldn't proceed down the hall, and they didn't look too happy.

"We need to talk to you outside," Kadi, the leader of the group said.

"Okay," Momo said as she followed them back outside. She wasn't afraid of these girls. They were all fairly small and wimpy. _What in the world could they want? I'm in no mood to mess with right now._

Once outside, the questioning began.

"How did you get your claws on Kairi?" Kadi asked.

"Huh?" Momo asked. _So that's what this is about._

"You're the one who's putting all the moves on him, right?" Another girl asked.

"No, you've got this whole story all turned around," Momo explained. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever talked to him since I moved here."

"Sweetheart, we know you kissed him," Kadi said sarcastically.

Momo gasped and her eyes flew open. "Kissed?! Who would have said something like that?!" _Was it Sae?_

"Kairi said it," Kadi said.

"What!" Momo huffed. "Grrr…I can't believe him! Oh he's dead!" She stormed off in order to find Kairi, but Kadi grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"You can't do this," somebody said as they yanked her necklace off. Nobody noticed, but on the back of the heart-shaped locket was the picture of Toji that he had given her.

"Yeah, you'll just embarrass yourself," the other girl said.

Momo gasped as the locket hit the dirt. She broke free of the girls and bent down to pick it up, but Kadi stepped on it before her hand got there. That pushed Momo over the edge.

"Just stay away from Kairi," Kadi ordered.

Momo narrowed her eyes and said coolly, "You need to move your foot."

That took Kadi by surprise, "What?" She asked in disbelief.

"I said move your foot!" She yelled as she stood up. "How dare you stomp your dirty feet down on my Toji! I'm so going to get you for this!" Momo started after the three girls, who immediately took off running, but Momo was slightly faster. Momo was about four inches taller than them and very muscular – not somebody you want to upset. When she caught up to the girls, she grabbed Kadi by the collar of her shirt and was about to punch her in the face when all of a sudden she heard clapping. _What the…_ All four girls looked over to see Kairi sitting on an overturned flowerpot.

"I always love a good catfight," he said.

"Kairi!" The two other girls shouted as they ran towards him for protection. "Help us!"

But Kairi put up his hands to stop them, "Oh no, don't stop just because of me. The fight was just about to get interesting." All three girls looked at Kairi, the shock of betrayal evident on their faces.

Momo dropped Kadi and walked towards Kairi with clenched fists of rage.

"Wait…Momo…what about the fight?" Kairi asked, obviously oblivious as to what was about to come.

"This whole thing is all your fault!!" She shouted at him as she punched Kairi in the cheek. He fell backwards off of his flower pot and landed on his back in the dirt, grunting from the pain.

Kairi's three groupies started shrieking.

Kairi sat up, "nice one…Have you ever considered ditching the pool for the boxing ring?" He teased.

But Momo was in no mood to joke around She picked him up by the collar of his shirt and got right in his face.

"Why are you telling the entire school that I kissed you? Huh?" She demanded.

Kairi rubbed his cheek, "I'm kind of surprised you don't remember…last summer, at Shiranomi beach, you saved a drowning man, that was me."

Momo let go of his shirt and Kairi fell back down.

"Did it come back to you?" He asked.

"I know I saved you, but what does that have to do with me kissing you?" Momo shouted.

"Well, after you dragged my body back to shore, you had to give me mouth-to-mouth," Kairi said as he winked at her.

Momo tried to hide her laughter, "Uh, sorry, but that wasn't me."

"Course it was. Your long flowing locks lightly brushed my cheeks as you tilted my head back," Kairi said matter-of-factly.

"I hate to tell you, but the one who gave you mouth-to-mouth was the lifeguard, the guy. I was just there on vacation, and the lifeguard wasn't paying much attention to the water, so I pulled you out," Momo explained.

Kairi gulped, thinking back to the older man that he also remembered at the scene of his near-drowning experience. He pictured the guy giving him CPR and nearly barfed in his mouth.

"No, no way…a dude!" Kairi complained as he sunk back to the ground, "oh man."

"So how are you going to fix this screw up?" Momo demanded.

"Fix it?" Kairi asked

"Yeah fix it, this is all your fault. People will say bad things about me," Momo said. _Oh my gosh! What if Toji heard about this!_ "Kairi, please tell me that you haven't mentioned this to anyone outside your classroom," Momo begged.

Kairi just stared at her, almost apologetically.

_He did tell other people!_ "Idiot! Do you know the misery you've set me up for? The whole school thinks I'm out there tossing it around and I never even kissed you in the first place! Ugh!" Momo grabbed her temples as if she had a headache. _I really hope this rumor hasn't gotten to Toji!_ "Kairi, you have to think about this. How do we keep this lie from spreading any further?"

Kairi looked at her and said seriously, "I know."

"You do?" Momo asked slightly surprised.

"We make our rumor true."

His words stunned her. _What! Like that would help the situation at all!_ She was so shocked that Kairi, of all people, would want to kiss her. _Well, he does have a bad reputation for dating girls solely based on their looks…and I don't even want to know what Kairi thinks when he thinks of me. Ugh, what a pervert. _ She was so shocked that she hadn't noticed Kairi moving in to kiss her. By the time she had caught on, it was too late. Her eyes grew large and the intensity of her shock multiplied as Kairi's lips gently touched hers. She couldn't pull away. She didn't want to kiss him, but for some reason she just couldn't pull away. _What am I doing? _

Kairi pulled back, "Now it's not a lie anymore. And if we're going out, no one can call you names."

Momo was still too shocked to move or say anything. She just stared into space.

Kairi waved his hand in front of her face, "Come back to us Momo!"

_What have I done?!_ She thought after breaking out of her daze.

"Well if it was that good, maybe we should do it again," Kairi said as he leaned in to kiss her again.

This time Momo was awake and she wasn't about to let Kairi take advantage of her again. She kneed him in the gut and Kairi fell to the ground once again. She stood up and screamed at Kairi,

"I never should have pulled you out of the water that day at the beach, creep!" With that she ran off, leaving Kairi in pain on the ground. _I'm not a creep_, he thought to himself through gritted teeth.

Momo ran into the girls' bathroom to wash out her mouth. _I can't believe him! Who does he think he is? Who does he think I am?_ She splashed the cold water on her face. _Kissing me without even asking!_ _That's not a real kiss._

Sae approached her later that day in the locker room before gym class.

"You did it, didn't you? You kissed him just like everyone says you did!"

Momo just slammed her locker shut. She was tired of hearing it.

"Oh come on, Momo! Now you're keeping your mouth shut!"

She walked out of the locker room to head to the gym, Sae right behind her. She opened the door right as Toji walked by. He stopped and glanced at her, he wore an expression of betrayal and hurt. He clenched his jaw and continued walking towards the gym.

Sae drew a big breath in, "I can't believe that just happened. Toji completely blew you off like you don't even exist!"

_You heard didn't you? Of course he heard about the kiss, everyone had. And I'm not even that kind of girl, I would never willingly kiss a guy I wasn't going out with. But that's what they all think, and now I'm an outcast. Why did this have to happen? Since I moved here, the only guy _

_that I've liked is Toji. I don't think I've ever liked anyone as much as I like him. I picked this high school because of Toji. It's just not fair. _

After the gym exercises, the students had a swimming lesson. Momo didn't feel like swimming, so she sat on the sidelines, deep in thought. A few tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes.

She had her head down in her lap and didn't see the person that was coming up behind her. The person wrapped their arms around her from behind. But as soon as the person spoke, she knew exactly who the voice belonged to – _Kairi!_

"Such a delicate, feminine frame you have," he said as he rubbed his head against her back and shoulders.

"Keep your hands to yourself creepshow!" Momo shouted as she punched him in the shoulder. Kairi fell backwards.

"Why? We already kissed. What's a little shoulder rubbing?" Kairi said with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Momo shouted covering her ears. She turned to him, "What makes you think I even want to see you Kairi?"

He sat up and muttered under his breath, "Sitting out of swim class, it must be that time of the month."

Momo slapped his cheek, obviously catching his assumptions. "Well it's not! I just don't want to get any sun. You understand?"

"Sure, pale is the new black, I get it."

A few yards away, a group of people, including Toji, stood watching Momo and Kairi.

"Do you think those two are really going out?" A girl asked.

"If they are, she's not very happy about it. And Kairi always swears he'll never settle down with anybody,"

Toji just stood there listening, never taking his eyes off of Momo. _I'll confront Kairi later. He better not play her like all his other girlfriends._

After gym class, Toji did just that. He spotted Kairi and started walking towards him.

"You and I need to have a conversation," he ordered, staring at Kairi intensely.

"Huh?" Kairi asked as he pointed at himself. Toji nodded and led the way to an empty classroom.

"I heard a rumor that you kissed Momo. Is it true?"

"Maybe, but tell me. What kind of relationship do you have with Momo?" Kairi asked.

"Look, I'm the one asking the questions here," Toji retorted.

"And I'm the one not answering them," Kairi replied.

_Errrr_, Toji grunted. The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

"If you're just doing your same old thing and just messing with her, I want you to stay away. She might look the part but she's not a mindless slut. You got me?" Toji ordered.

Kairi laughed, "What if I like her?" Kairi said unexpectedly.

"Wait, what are you saying," Toji asked, surprised to hear the words coming out of Kairi's mouth. A faint blush grazed his cheeks. _Does Kairi actually like Momo? No…_

"If I do, then I'm not pulling my same old thing,"

"I guess…"

"Girls like Momo have always been the way I roll. She's hot. You know, I think I could even be her boyfriend too, if she'd like it. I'm curious to see if that tanned skin spans the parts of her body that don't see the sun," He leaned closer to Toji and whispered, "tell me you wouldn't like to see what's hiding underneath that unflattering school uniform."

Toji blushed once more. _What guy wouldn't, she's beautiful, but how dare he talk about her like…like a piece of garbage to use and throw away whenever he's done! What a jackass!_ Toji slammed his fist into the wall. "You stay away from Momo, or I won't miss next time!" With that he stormed out of the room.

Kairi laughed nervously and glanced at the hole that Toji left in the wall. _Dang, he's definitely not somebody you want to mess with…but…Momo…_

At the end of the day, Toji slammed his locker shut, he was still very angry.

"Hey Toujigamori! I thought you'd be home by now,"

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sae heading his way.

"Oh, hey," he said and walked off.

_Nobody ignores me! _Sae thought. _I wonder if he's upset about Momo and Kairi._ Sae smiled to herself as she raced after Toji.

"Is it okay if I call you Toji, like Momo does?" She asked when she caught up to Toji.

"Uh, sure," he said as he continued walking. _I feel weird walking home without Momo, but I don't think I would want to talk to her right now. I don't want to know the truth about her and Kairi… _

"Oh, that's great!" Sae said.

"Just leave me alone!" Someone yelled furiously. Toji and Sae turned to see Momo walking home, with Kairi right behind her. "I'm sick of you following me around like a puppy!"

"But this is what you do when you're going out with a girl," they heard Kairi protest.

Toji clenched his fists, "I already warned that jerk!"

"Get away from me! I already have somebody I like, okay?" Momo said.

Toji and Sae moved closer so they could hear, but still remained out of sight.

"Yeah, I know. It's that guy, Toji, right?" Kairi asked.

Toji's mouth dropped a little, _what is he talking about? _

"That's right. I've liked Toji ever since I met him," Momo confessed.

Toji blushed, _yes! Finally!_

"Well have you ever told this guy how you feel?" Kairi asked.

"No, but I'm gonna…"

"Okay, when? If you keep it to yourself, you might miss your chance," Kairi said.

"I'm not an idiot, it's just –" Momo began.

"It's just what?" Kairi interrupted.

"A friend told me something once. She said that Toji has never liked girls with tanned skin," Momo told Kairi what Suzuka had told her. "It bothered me, but I couldn't just give up on my dream that easily. I figured that if I worked hard enough to get rid of my tan that I might actually have a chance to become Toji's girlfriend someday."

"So that's why you skipped swimming today?" Kairi said knowingly.

"Yes! I have to keep the sun off of me as much as possible, so I slap sunscreen on every hour, walk in the shade, and wear long sleeves when I can."

"Momo, that's a lot of effort to put in," Kairi said seriously.

"So now you can see why I have no interest in you," Momo blurted out.

"Now I'm even more in love with you! Your dedication is amazing!" Kairi said jokingly as he tried to give her a hug, but she kept him at a distance with her foot.

"I don't care, just leave me alone!" Momo protested.

Sae gasped, "She told me that she likes Kairi, but she just told him that she likes you. Toji, if I were you, I'd be careful around a girl like – " Sae stopped midsentence. Toji wasn't paying a bit of attention to her, he was too busy staring at Momo and trying to comprehend what had been said. _Wow, she does like me. This is great! I wonder who told her that I didn't like girls with tan skin though. It's no wonder she has always acted so shy around me. But what about the rumor…about her kissing Kairi? She wouldn't really do that, would she? No, she's not like that._

Sae narrowed her eyes, _So, Momo does like Toji, and he obviously likes her back…this won't do…not at all…Maybe if I get Toji to catch Momo and Kairi together, he'll change his mind about her. I'll work on that for tomorrow!_

The next morning at school, Momo opened her locker to find a note…

_Momo, let's discuss our future. _

_I'll be waiting by the poolside. – Kairi_

Kairi sat by the pool waiting, "She's so late, what the hell?" He reread the note that he had received. It was the exact same note that Momo had received, except the note was addressed to him and from Momo. "She asked me to be here." He sat up and pulled a picture out of his school agenda book. It was an old photo, one of him when he was about 10 years old. He was standing next to a girl with brownish-colored hair. He stared at the photo in his hand then sighed and began to rip the photo. _I wish I could forget you…but I can't. I need you. You're the only one who has ever truly cared about me. I need this photo._ He stopped and bent in to kiss the girl in the photo, but a big gust of wind tore the picture from his grasp and dropped it right in the water. _Oh no!_

"What could that idiot possibly want from me this time?" Momo muttered to himself as she headed towards the pool.

_I have to get that picture back! It's all I have!_ He timidly stepped onto the pool ladder and reached for his photo. Kairi was deathly afraid of the water ever since he nearly drowned in it, nor was he ever a very good swimmer. The combination of his water phobia and poor swimming skills made it impossible for him stay afloat. He felt the thin piece of paper float between his fingers and sighed with relief. _Thank God, I can't lose this._ All of a sudden, his shoe slipped and he went face first into the pool. Kairi started panicking and slowly sank towards the bottom of the pool.

"If he doesn't get the point soon, I'll have to tattoo 'I don't like you' on my face," Momo muttered as she reached the pool area. She scanned the sides of the pool for Kairi, but he was nowhere to be seen. _Huh? Where is he? That – _Then she spotted his body hovering in the water. She ran to the edge of the pool, "Kairi! Stop screwing around and get your butt over to the side of the pool!" Kairi didn't move. _Oh no!_ "You idiot!" Momo yelled at him as she dove into the pool. She pulled Kairi out of the water and laid him on the side of the pool and began slapping his cheek to wake him up, but there was no response. "Kairi! Wake up!" She leaned down to listen for his breathing – nothing. "He's not breathing. Oh no!" She thought back to her life guard training and remembered what her instructor had told her. She squeezed his nose shut and began giving him CPR.

"I promise Toji. They're at the pool together, alone. Go check it out," Sae said as she pointed in the direction of the pool. Toji looked over and sure enough, there they were.

"That's disgusting!" Sae shrieked as she watched Momo put her lips to Kairi's. "This has gone way too far! Oh, I can't watch this!"

"Wait, something's not right," Toji said as he continued watching. "Momo! What happened?"

"Toji! I found him in the pool, hurry! Call an ambulance!" She shouted back. The motionless Kairi started coughing up water. "Kairi!"

Toji helped Momo get Kairi to the nurse's office.

"He'll be just fine, but it was a good call on your part bringing him here," said nurse Misao. "We'll keep him here a little while longer. You two can head home, okay?"

"Great," Momo replied.

"Thanks for saving me Momo! I love you baby!" Kairi shouted playfully.

"Oh would you keep your mouth shut and get some rest!" Misao ordered as she clunked him on the head.

"Misao, that's no way to treat a guy who almost drowned today!" Kairi complained.

"Oh, anyone who can't swim and get's that close to the water probably needs some sense knocked into them," Misao retorted back. "Now lay down!"

Momo laughed.

"I can't say thanks enough Momo! I'll see you tomorrow!" Kairi said.

Momo and Toji walked to their lockers and got their stuff to go home.

"Kairi was lucky you were there for him," Toji said as they walked home.

"Yeah, you're right. He is," Momo agreed, but then suddenly thought how that situation must have looked to Toji, especially with all of the rumors flying around. _I mean, if I didn't save him, he'd be dead. And I couldn't live with that on my conscious! But I had my lips on another guy, he'll never want me now!_ She stopped and put her face in her hands.

Toji glanced over at her and stopped, "Momo,"

She looked up.

"I overheard the conversation you had with Kairi yesterday," he confessed.

"You did…" She thought back to what all she had said to Kairi yesterday. _Uh! He actually heard that!_

"You know," Toji continued. "I don't hate girls who have dark tans. In fact, I think I like you too."

Momo's eyes widened as she listened to Toji. _What? But – I don't understand._ She grabbed Toji's arm and held hers beside his to compare them. Hers was much darker than his. "Look!" She said.

"Huh?" Toji asked, slightly confused.

"Look at my arm! Don't you see this? What if this tan sticks and stays forever?" She demanded.

"Uh, I…don't…know. It looks fine," Toji said, still not understanding why Momo was making such a big deal about her tan.

"I know what I heard Toji. My friend told me that you don't like girls who have dark tans and that you would only consider going out with girls who have pale skin." She wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye. "That's what I was told."

Toji sighed, "I'm sorry. I honestly don't remember saying anything like that. Whatever your friend heard was simply wrong. I never intended to cause you any grief. And if I did, I'm truly sorry. I did say, that I didn't like girls who go to tanning salons or bleach their hair, But I know you're not like that."

Momo looked up at him. A huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, "really? Do you have any idea how happy that makes me?"

Toji walked over and put his arm around her shoulders and gave a little squeeze. She looked up and smiled at him and he returned her smile. _Finally! My first boyfriend!_

But little did they know, someone was lurking in the shadows, not wanting to be seen and not liking what she had just heard.

"You're not going to steal my man away from me without a fight!" Sae screeched as she dug her nails into the tree she was hiding behind.


End file.
